James Harden Traded

JT TurnerPosted in Basketball (NBA & College) last updated on November 5, 2023

So it took less than a week for the NBA to see a blockbuster trade as the 76ers sent James Harden to the Clippers.

Full Details

Philly received Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, and KJ Martin, a 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks, a first-round pick from OKC, and a first-round pick swap.

Los Angeles received James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Filip Petrusez

Thunder receive an unprotected 2027 pick swap from the Clippers

Of course, the Thunder are in on the trade because why wouldn’t GM Sam Presti want to show why he is the best GM in the league?

Recap of Harden and the 76ers

A quick recap of the last few months of James Harden’s career with the 76ers. He wanted to be traded and Philly’s President of Operations Daryl Morey told him he would be traded quickly after he signed his player option.

When he wasn’t traded Harden blasted Morey calling him a liar and saying he would not play for him again. Harden didn’t show up for training camp or media day and skipped a few practices. He finally decided to go to practice but did not play in any games this season for Philly.

Then poof, I wake up at 2 a.m. and see the red siren emoji and I know some sh*t went down. Breaking news: James Harden traded to the Clippers.

Year	Team	GP	Min	Pts	FG%	3pt%	Reb	Ast	Stl
2022-23	76ers	58	36.8	21.0	44.1	38.5	6.1	10.7	1.2
2021-22	76ers	21	37.7	21.0	40.2	32.6	7.1	10.5	1.2

My Opinion

Clipper nation, do you really think this will work out? Harden has been on four teams in the last four years: Rockets, Nets, 76ers, and Clippers. But hey, maybe this time will be different.

The trade itself I don’t care about, but the principle behind it is what gets me. Players have too much control over what happens, they should not be able to dictate when they sit out and when and where they get traded, unless they have a no-trade clause. If you sign a contract, abide by it.

Solution: sign one-year deals and make sure you ball out so you still get paid every year and now you have full control every year of who you want to play for.

Obviously, players won’t do that because if they have an off year or get hurt they can lose out on a lot of money, but it is annoying to see players always complaining when they are the ones who signed the contract.

Anyways, it looks like James Harden will play on November 6 at the Knicks. From what I have seen he will take the starting point guard spot and Russell Westbrook will back him up.

This lineup is no joke, Harden, Paul George, Kawahi Leonard, Westbrook, Terrance Mann, PJ Tucker, Ivica Zubac, and Bones Hyland. But then again, it’s the Clippers so we will see.

JT’s Grades for the Trade

Clippers: B-

Yes, the Clippers traded away a lot and I may be blasting Harden a little here but he is still an MVP and is a bucket. The Clippers do lose some draft capital so the future ain’t gonna be too hot but they were able to keep Mann which is surprising.

The big issue is Harden is a rental and will be a free agent after the season so it is all or nothing for the Clippers this season. If he was under contract for another year or two then they would have received a higher grade, but they are practically trading away a large part of their future for one shot at the championship.

76ers: B+

They got a lot of depth and picks in the trade for someone who may not have even played for them so it’s definitely a win. I like that the team can now center the offense around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid with a mix of Tobias Harris instead of having Harden ISO the ball.

Thunder: A

By the time 2027 rolls around the Clippers will have nobody under contract from this current team so they very well could be trash and have a top pick. Go Thunder.

NBA Finals Odds

Team	Previous Title Odds	Current Title Odds
Clippers	+2200	+1300
76ers	+2500	+2800

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